How The Young Fall
by Preddy's.Girl.Scarlett
Summary: She was Artemis Crock: a crime fighter, an archer, a girl on a team. Nothing would change that, not Sword & Cross, not her friends and certainly not death. Because Pennyweather Van Syckle Lockwood was long gone. One-Shot!


**I doubt anyone is reading this at all but if you are this is do to a case of boredom and I thought I might as well post this. In case you want to know I've only read "Fallen" and not the others so...**

**Safe to say I don't own either one (YJ & Fallen).**

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><p>The young girl stood with her eye facing the mirror, her expression remaining neutral.<p>

She wore her costume and eyed it with disgust, she would never be a hero. She was just a girl with a horrid past and an even worse present.

She was just Artemis now.

Just a girl, a scared girl, with her secrets hidden behind a scowl and snappy remarks. Never truly smiling, never truly living.

Off course she hadn't always been like this.

Two years ago she was a girl with a best friend and a semi-normal life.

Four years ago she was a girl with a caring father who always protected his daughter.

But that was then and this was now.

Because she was Artemis Crock: a crime fighter, an archer, a girl on a team.

Her eyes trailed down to her neck. She didn't even realize when she started stroking it while her memories came back, tears threatening to fall.

"You done yet, Arty? The Bat's waiting."

She didn't bother turning as she answered the speedster. "Going, Baywatch."

He must have noticed the difference in her voice because his scowl turned to a concerned look. "You okay?"

"I'm fine." She growled, pushing him out of her way as she exited the small bathroom.

Kid Flash didn't comment as they made their way to their destination.

As they entered they notice they were the last to arrive and Artemis let her eyes trail to the ground.

She didn't listen to most of what Batman said as she again buried herself in her thoughts.

She wasn't a hero, never had been. She was supposed to be a normal girl, as normal as possible for her. Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard something unexpected come from the vigilante's mouth.

"What?" Her eyes snapped up.

He scowled at her but repeated himself. "I'm sending all of you undercover to Sword & Cross boarding school. We believe something unexplained is going on there and after the disappearance of Pennyweather Van Syckle Lockwood two years ago and Lucinda Pierce's reappearance we need you all to uncover as much as you can. Do you have a problem with that?" His voice left no room for argument.

"N-no." Artemis stammered. "It's, it's just that I didn't hear you correctly."

Her wide eyes lowered themselves onto the floor as Batman continued talking to all of them.

Sword & Cross was somewhere she never wanted to go back to, living there once was enough. She didn't need to be reminded of what had happened, who she once was.

That was why she had changed her appearance so much.

He brown hair was now blonde. Her eyes had contacts instead of purple glasses.

And her personality had also dramatically changed. She was no longer that happy, trustworthy and caring girl. She was a snarky, rebellious teen who people thought had no care in the world.

But the one thing she couldn't erase were the memories, the pain she had gone through, the loss she had suffered.

She was human, but that thought would never comfort her.

She was scared as to find what had happened to her old school, after all the last time she had seen it was through dying eyes.

But at the same time she was curious. Curious as to what happened to her old friend, curios as to see what had happened after she had… left.

So she sucked it up and walked out of the room as the debriefing came to an end, going to pack whatever measly possessions she had here.

All the while trying to convince herself that everything would be fine.

Because she was Artemis Crock now.

Because Pennyweather Van Syckle Lockwood was long gone, and she would stay that way for as long as she could.

Because when she was brought back from the dead she never truly came back, she would never truly be the same. In a way Penn would stay dead, no matter what anyone did.

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><p><strong>So again if anyone's reading this please tell me what you think by reviewing.<strong>

**Maybe some day I'll come back and do a full story on this :/**

**~Scarlett Mist**


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